


The Dark Family of Gotham

by Contro_Bot



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Batfamily (DCU), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contro_Bot/pseuds/Contro_Bot
Summary: Everyone knows that Gotham is a criminal underworld disguised as a city. Crime Families rise and fall in Gotham as often as the seasons change.However, one particular family managed to succeed in not only preventing their own fall, but only seemed to thrive in Gotham.Fortunately, Clark Kent is on the case to find out more.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 141





	The Dark Family of Gotham

So where do we start?” A young voice asked as Clark entered the room carrying a stack of folders.

“Let’s start with the very beginning please” Clark asked as he took a seat and handed the top folder over to the young man he was talking to.

The man took it and began skimming through it, pausing as he came across certain pictures and Clark could hear the man’s heart skip a beat as he came across a particular picture. Specifically, the only picture that showed a clear image of the hand that controls Gotham underworld, the Bat.

“Mr. Kent I don’t- how?” The man stuttered as he stared at the picture.

“Please call me Clark.” Clark replied as he flashed a small smile “And believe me it wasn’t easy getting that picture, I had to give up an arm and a leg to get it.”

The man stared at Clark like he was some sort of miracle worker, which is kinda right considering the latter’s alter ego as Superman but he didn’t need to know that.

“What do you need to know?” The man said after clearing this throat.

“I want to know who he is, who his closest allies are and how he operates,” Clark said as he heard the guy’s heart skip a beat.

“Well, it’s your funeral I guess” The man said as he launched into a story.

* * *

No one knows who the Bat really is or when he first started his criminal empire. No one’s even sure if he even is real but his followers heavily dispute that, mostly with a weapon of some kind. But what most people who do believe in him put his rise to power during the power struggle that erupted from the sudden collapse of the Falcone family.

His rise to power was marked with the almost brutal violence and gang wars that wrecked Gotham after the collapse of the Falcones. No one really knew what he did during this age of violence but everyone who’s smart enough to put two and two together would suspect that he somehow engineered all of this to hide his presence. And it worked.

The Bat came out of this civil war with control over three of Gotham’s twelve districts with his gang fully refreshed and not diminished. In the span of two months the Bat managed to fully control Gotham’s northern districts.

And since then the Bat only grew more powerful and gained more influence, controlling the city in an iron grip despite many attempts to take him out.

* * *

It was three years later that one of the Bat’s core lieutenants arrived. Of course he had people working for him that he can at least trust to run some aspects of his empire but this was different, this was someone who the Bat can trust 100% and it showed. The new guy was someone who had a say in all of the Bat’s business, he had the authority to back it up and the guy had the ear of the Bat.

The new guy was charming and persuasive, he was the type of guy who you could see yourself absolutely selling your soul to. He had a tendency to make anything, regardless of gender, do anything to earn his favor.

But all that charm only hides a monster, one that you do not want to get on the bad side of.

There were rumors of course, of people that have displeased the Bat being picked up under the cover of night and never seen again, but some say that their screams echo throughout the night, begging for mercy.

And some say that this person was one of the infamous Talons of the mysterious Court of Owls. But then again, they don’t exist right?

* * *

“Talon? Court of Owls?” Clark scratched his head in confusion “I haven’t heard anything like that”

The man shrugged “It’s just some old fairytale parents tell to get kids to go to sleep.”

“But from what you told me there has to be a reason why they’re infamous right?” Clark asked.

“Well, the story usually says that Talons are people that should’ve been dead a long time ago but they’re not, and they usually take all the bad kids away” The man replied, giving a nonchalant shrug as he murmured “Or they just straight up kill them”

If it wasn’t for his super hearing, Clark wouldn’t have heard that at all. He shuddered to think about the original version of the story if this was being told to children.

* * *

The second one came not long after, taking on the name Red Hood after the moniker that many of Gotham's underworld has used at one point. He's smart, tactical and probably the most merciful out of the lot. 

After all, his presence meant that the Bat only wanted you to die as swiftly as possible. Any other lieutenant would’ve taken their time with you.

He was whispered to be a kid from Crime Alley, someone who grew up with the worst of the worst of Gotham City. Someone who has seen every possible crime out there and has survived to adulthood. A man who has given up on everything but found his true purpose besides the Bat.

* * *

The third one is more mysterious than even the Bat himself, some would even go on to claim that he (or she, one should not discount that possibility) might not exist at all. After all, why should you be afraid of the guy that doesn’t show his face at all?

But everyone that does know they exist knows that they’re the ones you should be most terrified of. Sure the other Bats would not hesitate to kill you but...this one’s different. They don’t take their time killing you, they ruin you completely.

All your deepest darkest secrets? They will know. All the lies you’ve told? They’ll uncover it and there’s nothing you can do to try and stop it. They’re always going to be one step ahead of you no matter what you do.

Whispers deep in the shadows dubbed them “The Prince (or Princess) of the underworld. Where the Bat would make you spill out your guts to them out of terror, they’ll find out what you’re hiding without you ever knowing.

There’s...whispers among a chosen few, the few privileged enough to know the Bats personally and live to tell the tale. Whispers about a heir, a heir much stronger and much capable than the blood son himself. These whispers place this person on the pedestal, claiming that there is no one less fitting to step in the throne of the Bat himself. No one else that the Bat trusts enough to place the future of his empire on.

* * *

And then there was the blood son, rumors about this particular son say that he was the product of an unholy union between the Bat and an assassin. One that has been trained his whole life since childbirth for one purpose only.

And that is the restoration of the ruined League of Assassins as an extension to the Bat’s empire.

No one really knows where he came from, but he made more than an impression when he first came onto the scene, killing some of his father’s most hated and irritating rivals and freeing up more territory for the Bat to openly control. It is said that he has...a rather interesting relationship with the rest of his father’s lieutenants, often being seen and heard arguing with each other over trivial and essential things.

* * *

There’s also the princess, the queen of the Bats. Rumor has it that she’s completely silent, unmoving and unnoticable, that you will only see her the moment that your life is over.

Many would say that she is more akin to an assassin than a queen, and while they might be right in some ways, they have not seen how the rest of the Bats refer to her. How they defer to her every decision and how she has the respect of even the Big Bat himself.

No one has ever seen her oversee some of the Bat’s operations but...you can definitely see some of her influence here and there. More lookouts? The presence of well trained men and women? Extremely hidden hideouts? That was all her influence.

And if all of these public actions had her hand, imagine all the back door deals and agreements that she must’ve had some sort of influence in.

And lastly, there is the last son. A man who has watched everything he ever loved die to the flames of crime. A man who had originally set out to do the right thing but has now realized that crime cannot be eliminated, but controlled.

Rumors about this specific lieutenant placed this man as a Metahuman. A rarity among the Gothamites and even more rare within the territory of the Bat. Metahumans aren’t really accepted in Gotham due to the actions of a few specific metas and the existence of one of the Bat’s sons being a meta made more than a couple of metas come out.

There are rumors of an all-meta gang being overseen by this specific lieutenant. One that owed their lives and undying loyalty to the Bat. This specific lieutenant and said gang has yet to show up in the public light, keeping their very existence hidden to the shadows but...Gotham would not be prepared for the day they step out of the shadows.

* * *

“Is that all?” Clark asked, writing down on his notepad.

The man nodded “Well, there’s a few trusted bodyguards and close associates here and there but they’re not exactly part of the inner council.”

“I’ll admit I’m more than a little curious why you know so much about them.”

The man stood up and grinned “Well you see Superman.” Clark did a spit take “The Bat knows all about you.”

Duke Thomas let out a low chuckle as he grabbed a card from his jacket and threw it on the ground in front of Clark

“...and he wants to meet you, in person” Was all that Clark heard before Duke went out and closed the door behind him.

Clark reached down to see the card, he’ll catch that man next time if he has any say about it, while inspecting the card, Clark found that it seemed like a fairly normal business card until he checked the back of it. On the back laid a set of coordinates, coordinates that Clark knows far too well and too specific to be a coincidence.

It was the coordinates for the Daily Planet.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys think? Do you guys like or have some criticisms with how I try to portray the Batfam? Tell me more down in the comments!


End file.
